1A Girls District 1 Tournament Preview

First round: Friday Harbor at King's, 5 p.m.; Mount Baker at Blaine, Coupeville at Lynden Christian, South Whidbey at Nooksack Valley, 7 p.m., all Monday nightSemifinals: Wednesday, TBD at higher seedChampionship: Saturday, 4 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace H.S.Advancing: Top three advance to tri-district tournament, which begins Feb. 13.Big storylines: The two favorites in this tournament -- the top two 1A teams from their respective leagues -- King's (12-7) and Lynden Christian (16-3) have already met once this season. Back in late November, the Lyncs jumped out to a quick start and weathered a Lady Knights run late to win 49-46. Both teams then turned to tough conference schedules and survived to earn the top seeds. Lynden Christian barely beat Blaine (14-5), a 38-36 victory in mid-December, which turned out to be the difference. Favorite: Lynden Christian. Win over King's in late November gives them the edge.Dark horse: Blaine. The Borderites and King's could face off in semifinals.Key players: Savanna Hanson (King's), Taylor V'Dovec (Blaine), Karley De Jager (LC), Courtney Hollander (LC), Mandy Hayes (Blaine), Alexis McElwain (Blaine), Mia Hayek, (King's), Mariah Perry (NV).Picks: 1. Lynden Christian, 2. Blaine, 3. King's.

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